Argentina leader defends Cabinet chief accused in crime

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's president defended her Cabinet chief Wednesday against a media report that implicated him as the mastermind in the killing of three men allegedly connected to an ephedrine trafficking ring.

President Cristina Fernandez said the accusations against Anibal Fernandez are a politically motivated attack by the opposition aimed at affecting Sunday's primary elections.

Anibal Fernandez is running for governor of Buenos Aires province.

In the Channel 13 report, one of the men convicted in the 2008 killings said the hit was ordered by the Cabinet chief via an intermediary. The president said she doesn't believe the allegation.

Her administration has long been at odds with Grupo Clarin, one of Latin America's biggest media conglomerates. Channel 13 is part of Grupo Clarin.